What would you do if the one man who can help is the one man you can’t trust? A heart attack has stopped Mara Keegan in her tracks, leaving her daughter’s unfinished photo memory quilt hanging by a thread.

Little does Mara know, this quilt—and the memories it bolsters—are the key to her rehabilitation. But Mara’s heart needs to be healed in more ways than one. And Joel Ryan is fraying her last nerve. With her daughter’s graduation fast approaching, even Mara starts to wonder if she—and her faith—can mend in time. Will Joel’s photo find a place on the quilt… and in Mara’s heart?

I asked Angie to share with us what inspired her to tell this story.

Mara Keegan is really every mom to me. She’s a workaholic with her kids best interests on her heart, but it’s a very damaged heart. Mara gave up her dreams in order to provide for her family. Behind the scenes, I know so many women who have done exactly this sacrificial provision. Personally, I didn’t write for ten years in order to meet the needs of other people. But deep in my heart, I was miserable. I wasn’t doing what I was born to do.

In writing A Healing Heart, I wanted to heal the hearts of women like me who have given up their dreams. For the longest time I thought I’d never be able to write for publishing, my biggest dream, and be a public speaker. But God has a way of bringing people into our lives that opens the door to those dreams. After all, God put those dreams in us.

A Healing Heart is about helping women find a way back to their true purpose, the one God designed their dreams around. It’s about understanding it’s never too late to let God heal our hearts and lead us in the path He’s set before us.

That is so true. Thank you, Angie.

Angela Breidenbach is a speaker, coach, and author of A Healing Heart April 2013 from Abingdon Press in the Quilts of Love series. Her family tradition is to create the life story on a photo memory quilt for each graduating senior. She is certified in mentor/peer counseling as a CTA life coach, as a Stephen Minister, and a weight loss/nutrition coach.

You can connect with Angie at:

What dream have you set aside? Do you think God will provide a way to lead you back to it? Or if you’ve started on that path, what obstacle did you have to overcome to take the first step toward your inborn dream?

“As beautifully woven as a keepsake quilt, A Healing Heart wraps itself around you, offering a cozy, heart-tugging story. This is definitely my kind of tale—one that pulls you in from the first page and keeps your emotions engaged throughout. Highly recommended.”—Janice Thompson, author of Queen of the Waves

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11 Comments

Hi Angie,
Thanks so much for joining me here today. Writing is definitely a dream I’d set aside for a long time as I raised my family and renovated our house and enjoyed many hobbies (painting, cross-stitch, knitting etc.) A back injury prevented me from doing many of those things and helped prompt me to return to that dream. 🙂 Yet, that time was important in gaining life experiences to enrich my writing.

Congrats Angie! It sounds like a good book. I always feel like there needs to be a balance with moms and what they sacrifice. I feel very happy with my momhood and also my writing and hope someday that I don’t look back regretting things.
Hindsight stinks though, so I’m sure there will be something.
I know a lot of moms who revolve their whole lives around their kids. Your book sounds lovely and like a good romance. 🙂

I loved being a mom and wish I could have been home with my kids the whole time. But I was their provider until I finally could share those duties when I remarried. But then I still had to work full time and ended up sandwiched between my family needs and caring for my mother. So then I could only take classes and imagine. I understand the busy mom cycle!

Sandra, thanks for having Angie as your guest!
Angie, your book sounds fascinating, and one that many women can relate to, I’m sure. ~ The Lord’s timing is always perfect. After raising children and teaching school for many years, I had to retire early from my teaching career due to severe spinal issues. But I realized the Lord had opened the door for me to write full-time–a life-long dream! 🙂 He is always so GOOD!